I have always been confused by the knocking on doors to gather recruits to a faith. The Mormons, the JWs, and as I found out, even the Baptists.
What kind of success rate is there? If you go knock on 20 doors, how many people actually interact civilly, how many slam the door, and how many do you actually convince to come to your church, temple, kingdom hall...whatever.
I was raised Catholic...they didn't recruit, they just bred more Catholics.

My ex-fiancee went on a mission (Mormon) to Finland for two years. Pretty much 5 days a week, usually more than 8 hour days, knocking and proselytizing and spreading the good word. She converted only about a dozen new Mormons, some of whom "dropped out" before her two year mission was over; I guess some were just experimenting.

She also talked a bunch of people (more than her converts) into returning to their own religion. Her mission president didn't like that very much (he never said it in words, but I'm sure his point was that these lonely, lost, former Christian "seekers" were on the brink, ready to be pushed into religion, ripe for the plucking as it were, so it was a wasted opportunity to push them back into their own former faith rather than recruit them into LDS).

But really, 2 years, full time, only about a dozen converts. And she was super-devout, more dedicated than most of her sister missionaries.

"Whores perform the same function as priests, but far more thoroughly." - Robert A. Heinlein

(01-02-2013 01:14 PM)Aseptic Skeptic Wrote: My ex-fiancee went on a mission (Mormon) to Finland for two years. Pretty much 5 days a week, usually more than 8 hour days, knocking and proselytizing and spreading the good word. She converted only about a dozen new Mormons, some of whom "dropped out" before her two year mission was over; I guess some were just experimenting.

She also talked a bunch of people (more than her converts) into returning to their own religion. Her mission president didn't like that very much (he never said it in words, but I'm sure his point was that these lonely, lost, former Christian "seekers" were on the brink, ready to be pushed into religion, ripe for the plucking as it were, so it was a wasted opportunity to push them back into their own former faith rather than recruit them into LDS).

But really, 2 years, full time, only about a dozen converts. And she was super-devout, more dedicated than most of her sister missionaries.

Just imagine what she (and the others) might have accomplished doing something useful for 2 years.

Skepticism is not a position; it is an approach to claims.
Science is not a subject, but a method.

lol, Woof, the Mormons are both. Haven't you heard about the SIZE of the typical Mormon family? They can easily rival the Catholics, without even counting the illegitimate children from (lawfully) unrecognized plural marriage.

"Whores perform the same function as priests, but far more thoroughly." - Robert A. Heinlein

Thanks AS...I look forward to answers from Cheap and Mis and others.
Since the area where I spent most of my time growing up was well over 90% Catholic, I really didn't experience other religious teaching. I have studied some on my own. Just curious...some of the things are puzzling, I hope no one is offended when I ask things like this.

(01-02-2013 02:05 PM)Aseptic Skeptic Wrote: lol, Woof, the Mormons are both. Haven't you heard about the SIZE of the typical Mormon family? They can easily rival the Catholics, without even counting the illegitimate children from (lawfully) unrecognized plural marriage.

Hi.
Read a book sometime back, about a non stream Mormon leader who had a lot of young sex slaves sort of thing.
He was the Grand pooh Ba and is presently doing time. Forget his name;sorry.

Let me put it this way: 20 doors to knock on would not yield any results, unless if you count as a decimal number. I never got a bible study with anyone (phase two of indoctrination) and it was rare there would be any conversation at a door, and mostly it was just placing magazines. That was really annoying, because a lot of people in the congregation used it as a 'Oh yeah! Reached my high score!' for spirituality. Even if no one was home when I knocked, I asked what would happen and why they didn't get to hear the good news the words 'They don't want to be saved' always came out. Stupid, really.